The Third Time is a Charm

Thank you guys for all the reviews. The evil plot bunny is now gone, a good Fairy Godmother plot bunny came and waved her magic wand to make it go away. So now, on with the story…



Posted 16 October 2009



Chapter 34: A Proposal and a Kiss



Severus looked at Harry and instead of a happy grin he saw tears and anguish. His heart was pounding like thunder as it was breaking in two, and he couldn’t even get a word out to ask Harry what was wrong. They had bonded, they loved each other and they were soulmates, but his lover was not happy and he couldn’t fathom why. They had a child on the way and he wanted to marry before the birth of their son so they could be a proper family. He didn’t understand what was wrong and he wanted to know why Harry wouldn’t marry him. He started to get up to leave his anguished lover where he was; he needed to go to another room so he could think about this. Their lives were so intertwined; he didn’t know how to live without his Harry and how to raise their son if they weren’t together. He had to think, he had to plan a life without him but he was so lost he couldn’t think beyond the fact that Harry, his Harry didn’t want him.



As he started to stand up, the younger man still had a hold of his hand and pulled him back down to the sofa they were sitting on. It surprised Severus so much he was taken off guard and nearly fell instead of sitting down gracefully. Even with the horror stricken face, Harry was looking at him intently. Then he whispered one word.



“Why?”



Severus just looked at him with a stunned expression and asked. “Why, what Harry?”



“Why would you want to marry me?”



The question took him by such surprise that he didn’t answer immediately. Severus blinked a few times as he stared at the man in front of him.



“Why would you ask that? We are soulmates, we have bonded and we have a child on the way. It’s the next step in our relationship.”



“Why?” Harry asked again.



Severus could only think of one more reason, just one more thing to say. “Because I love you and want to be with you.” Even now he couldn’t explain what this conversation was costing him and his heart felt like it was squeezing all the life out of his body.



Tears were falling down Harry’s face again. He didn’t know if Severus was telling the truth. The two men were not as close this past week and Harry felt like Severus was just asking him to marry because he felt obligated to do it. Severus watched as his lover’s conflicted emotions flashed across his face. It was time to get some answers.



“Harry, look at me.” The older man addressed him firmly. “Tell me what is going through that head of yours.”



“I don’t want you proposing marriage just because you feel obligated. You don’t have to marry me or stay bonded to me if you don’t want to. We will find a way to raise Evan without us being together. I would want to be with him, but I want you to be happy and don’t want you stuck with me.” As Harry started to talk, all the words came rushing out and he couldn’t seem to stop.



“You haven’t been around as much and you changed the way we have sex, you got rougher and I thought it was because you were bored with me or needed something I couldn’t give you. I didn’t understand at first but then realized you didn’t really want to be with me and resented having to love me and so you… well you know, everything changed. It didn’t seem as if you wanted to be around me as much. You even came to bed after I was asleep so you didn’t have to talk to me and recently you got up a few times before I woke up. You closed yourself off from me; I couldn’t feel the bond anymore. I used to get feelings from you and sometimes I knew what you were thinking but now I can’t. You shielded me from knowing what you were feeling and so I thought you didn’t want me to know you were tired of me and wanted something better.” The tears, once again started leaking out of those beautiful eyes that Severus so adored and he saw the anguish settle once more on the face of his lover. He had been such a fool.



Severus didn’t understand everything that was going on, but he did know one thing, if Harry was this upset about thinking he was not loved by the older man anymore, then it was not a case of not wanting to be together. It was a series of misunderstandings that had not been spoken and Severus was at fault. He had forgotten that this was an area where Harry was still very young. In all the abuse and growing up he had done, a loving relationship was not one of his mature areas. He was going to have to teach the young man how to have a real rapport with someone you loved. He wasn’t sure how to do that himself, but for the sake of their marriage, he was going to find a way.



Severus sat more resolutely on the sofa and put his arm around Harry’s back and another under his legs. He then picked up the younger man and settled him firmly across his legs while placing Harry’s arms around his neck and putting his longer arms around Harry’s waist. He held him until the tears from the emerald eyes stopped flowing. Taking a handkerchief from his pocket, he gave it to Harry so he could clean up his face a little and blow his nose. Then he spoke.



“Love, I didn’t know you were feeling this way, why didn’t you tell me?” Severus spoke softly to the younger man.



“You haven’t been to bed on time; you… you waited till I was asleep to come. I… I thought you were avoiding me.” He only mumbled the last bit, but Severus still heard him. Harry was actually starting to feel better now that he was in Severus’ arms.



“No, my love, I was working in the potions lab. I thought you knew that, all you had to do was come and join me. I would never want to avoid you or refuse your company. I was making the werewolf’s cure and got tied up with trying to keep up with the orders Remus has been sending.” Severus was glad they were having this conversation now. Hopefully he could get to the bottom of the problems Harry was having accepting himself, as well as making him realize that he was worthy to be loved.



“But you were bored with me, you changed and you…” Harry couldn’t put into words his next problem but Severus understood. Harry sighed and laid his head on Severus’ shoulder, he hiccupped a few times, still trying to retain control of the tears that were still at the surface trying to break through.



“No, my love, I was not bored with you. I forgot you don’t know a lot about sex and didn’t take time to explain it, but I was never bored. I had thought you were enjoying yourself, if I ever do anything you don’t enjoy you only have to say so.”



“I was enjoying it until I thought I wasn’t exciting enough and experienced enough to make you happy. Then you blocked the bond and I couldn’t reach you telepathically either.” Severus tightened his arms around his lover. He was happy to hear his lover enjoyed himself because he really wanted Harry to explore other avenues of pleasure with him; he just needed to take things a little slower. He was forgetting that just two months ago the young man was a virgin. He started carding his hand through Harry’s wild hair, taking comfort that he was still here in his lap, allowing Severus to hold him.



“Oh Harry, you will always make me happy and if for some reason you don’t we will always talk about it and discuss it together. I promise. I didn’t block the bond because I stopped loving you, I just wanted to surprise you with Remus being cured and didn’t want you to know what I was doing.” Severus vowed to his mate.



“You promise?” Harry asked hesitantly



“I promise.” The older man smiled and looked into the green gaze and with a determined look on his face, affirming his statement to him. He would do anything for this man.



The green eyes looked hopeful for the first time since he proposed, but still hesitant as if he couldn’t really believe what he had heard. Severus decided another action was called for so he placed his palm on Harry’s face and gently, while cradling his head, brought the younger man’s mouth closer to his. The kiss was soft and full of promise but also brief and loving. When he ended the kiss, the older man leaned his face towards the other and rested their foreheads together. Severus soothed the cheek of the younger man, gently rubbing his thumb across the wetness of the tear tracks, and again tilted his face to his mouth. This time the kiss was more firm but still held just as much promise as the first one. Severus gently nibbled on the lower lip of the mouth and tugged, and then let go. He was trying to let Harry know he was loved and not everything was about how rough they would be or how exciting he thought he was. It was a gentle kiss and he was waiting for Harry’s response.



Harry sighed contentedly as the first kiss was ending and sighed again at the end of the second one. He had never had such a romantic kiss before and wanted more. He moved off of Severus’ lap to rearrange himself so he was straddled across it instead. Severus let him do this without one word of protest and encircled the smaller waist with his arms as Harry sat back down. He remembered another time, at the other facility where they put his lover back together; the time when they were in the kitchen alone. He smiled fondly at his younger lover and placed both hands on either side of the face in front of him. Pulling the face toward his lips one more time, he gently kissed his lover again, infusing the kiss with all the love he felt poring out of his old tired heart; the same heart that was breaking earlier but was renewed with the strength of their conversation. He gently nibbled and tugged on the full lower lip and ended the kiss with a whispered “I love you Harry.”



Harry’s heart soared as those four little words were spoken with all the promise and love anyone would ever need; the tone of the voice speaking a promise and a prayer at the same time. “I love you too, Severus.” Harry spoke just as softly but after a pause he continued, “I would love to marry you and be with you forever, if you still want me.”



Severus almost wept with joy and elation as his heart jumped in his chest. Of course the stoic man would never admit that. He knew Harry meant every word he had spoken and was relieved to hear the words come from his mouth with such conviction. He picked up the ring he had set on the small table next to the sofa and handed it to his lover.



“Will you marry me, Harry?” Severus asked again just so he could forget about the earlier response and give both he and his young lover a good memory of the question.



“Yes, Severus, I will marry you.” The younger man replied as he opened the box. There inside was the most beautiful bonding ring Harry had ever seen. Not that he had seen many but this one was obviously the Prince bonding ring only with an emerald in the center instead of the traditional onyx. Inside the band was the simple inscription ‘Love always and forever’. He gave it to Severus and held out his left hand so that the older man could put it on his finger for him, sealing their promise to each other.



“This, my love, is the Prince bonding ring.” Severus began explaining the significance of what they were doing at the moment as he held onto the hand presented to him. “It is said that this ring is over five hundred years old and has not been worn in over a century. It can only be worn by the soul mate of the Prince men. They can be worn by no other. It is also said that once put on the soul mate’s hand, it cannot be removed. Do you understand?” Severus looked into Harry’s eyes to see if he was really paying attention to what he had said. “Once this ring goes on your finger and you have accepted me as your husband, it will not come off and our bond cannot be broken.”



Harry’s head jerked up with that statement and he looked into the older man’s eyes to see the truth of the statement and the love shining through. He couldn’t help but ask one more time, “Are you sure this is what you want, Sev? To be with me for the rest of your life?” He couldn’t believe that Severus wanted to marry him when he was so young and obviously didn’t know about everything that Sev did but as he looked into the man’s face he saw what he needed; Love.



“I am sure Harry, but are you sure?” Severus wanted his lover to know what he was asking of him.



“Yes,” was Harry’s simple answer and Sev slid the ring on his fiancé’s finger. Harry could feel the imbued magic more than he could see it. He felt it settle in his spirit and could feel Severus’ capacity for love infused within his soul.



Harry leaned forward and kissed Severus just as softly and tenderly as the older man had done mere moments before. He wanted Sev to know he loved him just as much as he felt loved by the older man. It was the most romantic kiss he had ever given his older lover and he briefly licked the lips in front of him as he ended the kiss.



Severus took the left hand of his lover again to look at the ring, his ring sitting on the hand of the man he loved. He again thought about the suffering and anguish the younger man had been subjected to in his life and pledged to himself to take care of Harry for as long as he would let him. He started to move his thumb over the scar he knew was there but realized it was gone.



“Harry?” Severus asked. “Are you using glamour on the scar? I don’t see it.” Severus was puzzled as he didn’t feel the magic of glamour at the time.



“No, Becca and I made a paste that removes scars. We used the oil from a petal of one of the flowers I bought for you. We made enough to give as presents to a few people we knew had scars too. That’s what Becca gave Remus from under the tree. It worked in about a week using it three times a day. It was made with lavender oil added with the oil from the healing lily. I was surprised it worked so well. I didn’t think I would ever get rid of that scar. I almost got rid of the one on my head too, look.” As he said this, Harry lifted the bangs covering his forehead so Severus could see the vanishing scar for himself. “At first I thought because they were cursed scars that you couldn’t remove them. Becca told me that since the tearing down of the blocks, and the removal of the evil, they were no longer cursed, just left over scars.”



“I see. That is really amazing Harry. Just how many of those lilies did you buy? I was surprised at the quantity you gave me and that was a lot.”



So Harry and Severus discussed the lilies, where they came from and the new paste that was developed for scar removal. The idea of removing scars from dark curses and what other applications the salve could have. They discussed about being a family, and how much they wanted to be together, and a myriad of other topics. The whole time, Severus took the opportunity to caress Harry’s back and his thighs and his face with little touches that said more than words about how much he loved this young man. Finally Severus asked Harry a question.



“Harry?” Severus said huskily in a voice just above a whisper. “Do you think we can go to bed now?



Harry smiled and nodded to Severus not saying anything as he climbed off of his lap. The older man tried to stand up without wincing at the pain, but did so very stiffly as he was reminded that his younger lover had actually been sitting on his legs for well over an hour while they conversed.



Harry chuckled a bit at the look on Sev’s face as he rose up from the sofa and stood. He took his lover’s hand and slowly pulled him along as he walked across the room and toward the hallway. The older man was moving very slowly as the pins and needles feeling started to leave and the feeling came back into his thighs where Harry had been sitting.



“Shut it, brat.” Severus said jokingly as Harry chuckled all the way across the room. “If you don’t I will have to give you detention.”



“Yeah, Yeah.” Harry answered back. “Promises, Promises.”



Severus just chuckled back at him as they walked to their bedroom.



As they got ready for bed, Harry was a little distressed as Severus put on sleep pants and climbed into bed. He was expecting his new fiancé to want to… well, celebrate but then maybe not. Following his example, he quickly donned his own pair of sleep pants and climbed into the bed with his lover.



“Sev?” Harry asked in a query of doubt. “Is there something wrong?”



“No, my love.” The older soul mate answered with a smile. “I want you to know that you are loved and not just for the sex. I want to hold you all night and talk all night if you want or just go to sleep. Our relationship is not about how we make love, Harry. It is about wanting to be together and being able to open up to each other. It is about knowing that even when we don’t have sex, we are still one with each other.” Severus actually didn’t know where the words were coming from, but he meant every word. He wanted Harry to be comfortable with him no matter what happened.



So Harry scooted closer to the warmth of the other body and put his arm across the chest as he snuggled into the side, as he had on countless nights over the passed month. He laid his head on the chest so he could listen to the heart beating in a rhythm of its own. Then he whispered to his lover as he was drifting off to sleep. “I love you.”



“I love you too, my Harry,” was the whispered response before he followed the younger man into blissful sleep. It had been an emotionally exhausting day.





A/N Lavender oil is a real substance and is used in homeopathic medicine to help heal cuts, burns and scars. The best lavender oil is more efficient and can be very costly but the less expensive ones will have an impact also. It would take months or even a year to diminish a scar of the proportion left on Harry’s hand and there is no such thing as a healing marsh lily, but what the heck this is after all magic.



Becca\'s big secret is coming up soon. No one has guessed it yet. I should tell you that my favorite game is clue and the clues are throughout the story, just to give you a hint.